Emergency notification system to be tested April 21

April 12, 2011

As
part of its emergency preparedness plans, Duke will test the DukeALERT
mass notification system on Thursday,
April 21

Beginning at 11 a.m., outdoor warning
sirens will sound and the emergency DukeALERT website will be activated.
Shortly afterward, faculty, staff and students will receive a test e-mail, and,
if they registered for Duke's text messaging service, they'll get a text
message on their mobile device. Duke's
information line 684-INFO will also provide a recorded message.

Since this is a functional test of the
system, Duke community members do not need to seek shelter or evacuate.
Instead, they should take time to understand how they would be notified in the
event of a life-threatening emergency like a tornado sighting or active shooter on campus.

The
test is conducted once during the spring and fall semesters and once during the
summer, when the audience is significantly different with various camps and
programs on campus.

As
part of the test, Duke community members will be encouraged to respond to an
online survey to assess the effectiveness of various DukeALERT communication
methods. The survey will be posted on the DukeALERT
website once the test
begins.

The
results will help determine how people were notified, which methods worked best
for different groups and whether staff members know their severe weather/emergency
conditions service category. The results will also help identify areas for
improvement.